Hi: I've been a Countryside Magazine subscriber for about a year which I dearly love, & only this evening have peeked at the Forum on my computer. I'm amazed at how much there is here aside from the magazine itself. I'm a late-bloomer (in that I've been changing for about 4 yrs) to the whole homesteading way of thinking & am wondering how many of your contributors might have started this way too. I came across a paperback book from my late mother's library called "Country Living: A Guide for City People" by Jerome Belanger that for me was almost like an epiphany. After reading that & devouring a small hoard of homesteading books she had,I decided that this was what I've been searching for. It has been a slow go but I think I'm heading in the right direction. I've got chickens, afew goats, rabbits & turkeys. We've raised a couple of pigs & excess roosters for the freezer and some day hope to put afew calfs out in the pasture to sell later. Struggling with gardening as I work full time & can't put the full effort into it as I should. I'm 48 and have plans for an early retirement in about 3 more years when most of the big bills will be gone and I can devote myself full time to this. When I read about how so many have been living the "simpler" life, I wonder how long they've been at it. I was raised a military brat and previously had no exposure to country life until Mom (& Dad half-heartedly) was bitten by the Back-to-Basics movement in the 70's. I was finishing up high school by that time & had my own ideas, you know? So even though it's been afew years since I've seen the light, it still feels new & awesome when I am a witness to all of the good Lord's wonders. I've had afew setbacks but hey, good things come to those who persevere. I learn so much from countryside and the contributors and have asked a couple of questions in regards to my livestock on occasion. Everyone is very helpful & I feel honored by their responses. I just wanted to know if I'm very alone out here at this point in my life. For what it's worth I think my grown son thinks I've gone off the deep end :-). Thanks for your input. Cindy in SW MO

-- cindy bell (bellrngr@netins.net), January 19, 2001

Answers

Hi ! No you are not alone out there. I am a late bloomer too ! Always had the desire and will just not the where with all. YOu and I are about the same age too. I will be 48 in July. Are you married or going it alone? Children ? - grown or still home? My father has been gone now for 5 years (being a farmboy he would've understood) but my mother thinks I am a real kook. I too am working hard at paying off debt. We figure that if we can go at the rate we are going now I too should be able to retire in about 3-4 years. Our debt is our home and land. Do you raise a garden? This is our first year at a real garden. I have always done the flowerbed vegetable thing. I am looking forward to the garden. We have chickens, a pet pig, (she was a gift), and ducks. I am vegetarian but eat eggs and dairy products. Would very much like to have a milk goat. So nice to hear from you. Drop me a line if you so wish. And best of luck to you ! It is exciting isn't it?

-- Cindy Palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), January 19, 2001.

I'm not only a late bloomer, but still in the "dream" stage of homesteading. My father was also in the military and so was my husband. I'm 51 with 4 years till retirement. I've never lived in the country, but have been an avid reader of Countryside for several years and have always desired to live in the country. We currently have 6 goats with no room for additional animals on our land. We bought several acres, just insufficient funds now to make the move. Our children are grown & my son has jokingly said we need to call our place, "Mom's Funny Farm" as he knows I want to breed goats, get donkeys, geese, guineas, the whole kit&kaboodle. Our children and the grandsons all love the goats and Keith sits in my lap when I surf the web looking at donkey pictures (got that 3year old already hooked on longears!) I just regret that it took me so long to realize what I wanted to be when I grew up!

-- Marsha (CaprisMaa@aol.com), January 19, 2001.

I, too, am in the "dreaming/planning" stage, and I'm 48. No kids, no hubby, so no one to think I've gone nuts. I guess that's good. It seems there were so MANY things leading in this direction, it would be hard to say where it started. But I do remember reading a book "Noah's Garden" that was a major pointer on the way. I've always been an animal lover.

I want to live a more natural and harmonious life!

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), January 20, 2001.

Hi Cindy! I think that makes 4 Cindys now, dosen't it? I'm 44, have goats, ponys, a Jack, chickens, large organic garden and Border Collies. I'm married, going on 5 years, and we are planning on going even further into the woods and further off the grid! You're never too old! And everyone thinks we are a couple of froot loops too, so don't worry about it. You fit right in here!

My grown son says I'm boring, never do anything. I say "Hey, I've had 20 years more than you of doing things and going places, OK." And homesteading is anything but boring! I did agree to go bowling with them, and I'm sure I can still beat em' all!

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), January 20, 2001.

You folks are great!! Sometimes I lose focus on the things I want to do & wonder if I'm doing the right thing or not. Then I see the things I've learned to grow & laugh at the antics of my goats or the chickens chasing each other over a bug or just pet one of my rabbits & I feel alittle more connected. I would very much like to live mmore simply. My husband is for it... up to a point. He helps tend our livestock & when I need a hole dug & such :-). He's still connected to his remote & ESPN but he's beginning to wean himself down & spend more time outside. I get funny looks from him when I start talking of wanting to set up solar & wind generators. I guess he's afraid he'll lose the TV. I'd like to do the off-the-grid thing though, at least on a small scale, especially when I see what's happening in Calif. That will be alittle further down the road. For now I'm going to work on my green thumb. Picked up an assortment of fruit tree seedlings last spring & temporarily potted them up near the house. Have a site on an old garden planned for their new home (going to have to get hubby to dig those holes :-) ). Also going to do some raised veggie beds this spring. Our ground is so rocky, I think this would make more sense. Want to convert part of an old rabbit barn into a green house but that too will come in time. A couple of weeks ago I rec'd 6 seed & flower catalogs in the mail - I think they're ganging up on me!! So for now - I feel like I've made some new friends & hope someday maybe I can help someone too. Thanks for being there. Cindy

-- cindy bell (bellrngr@netins.net), January 20, 2001.

Jerome Belanger is, of course, our own Jd Belanger, Editor Emeritus, of Countyside and Small Stock Journal. Beside the book you mentioned, he author others. The can sometimes be found at used book sites. Ones I know about are: Soil Fertility, The Homesteader's Guide to Raising Small Livestock, Raising Milk Goats the Modern Way (considered a classic), Raising the Homestead Hog, A Place Called Attar and The Countryside Book of Farming Lore. I understand he is drafting something on the order of a sequel to Attar.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 20, 2001.

I am gearing to the "modern homesteader" rather than the traditional. Lynn and I are attempting to suspend our lifestyle between modern technology and old skills , so to benifit from the best of both worlds. Dont consider yourself a late bloomer, instead consider yourself always growing.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 20, 2001.

Hi Cindy-I moved to this farm at 48. Been here 5 years. It was the family farm but my aunt actually lived on it so I grew up in town. I always wanted to move here but didnt until 5 years ago. My husband is a man I knew all my life who grew up here and farmed most of his life We've been married 4 years We have goats, cows, all kinds of poultry and we raise all kinds of truck crops. We make cheese and soap, do woodwork and photography Its lots of fun and hard work. The deaths affect me most of all as I am no longer good at saying goodbye. I love it here and I love farming. Good luck to you. Its never too late to realize a dream.

-- Norman and Susie Stretton (nightsong@beci.net), January 21, 2001.

I don't know that I qualify as a late bloomer, having grown up homesteading, and always having had at least a garden no matter where we were living. But at going-on-forty-four years old (and hubby's almost 45), and planning to "retire" in a few months when we sell the place where we are living now, we are in close to your situation. Our goals and plans have changed gradually over the years, too, as we've tried things and learned more. But I don't think the end result will be too far from the original goals -- though we are now talking about a small living history farm with two or three campsites and a cabin for rent to historical re-enactors. We'll get to have the lifestyle we want, but not be isolated by it (though we will be sacrificing some privacy), help keep endangered breeds of livestock alive, and make enough to support us in the bargain (we don't need much!! LOL!!).

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), January 21, 2001.

Another late bloomer here. Always been a dreamer of this life. I was married 18 yrs to someone who just wasn't interested in this way of doing things. After divorce I hybernated 2 yrs, then began looking for a place. Found a place last fall and moved in. About the same time family member brought a great nephew to me to raise. He's 4 yrs old and can't wait to get goats and rabbits. I still work full time(well, maybe more than full time -72 hrs a wk). My goal is to get the gardens and fencing ready before I slow down working. When I sell my other house it should more than pay for this one and the land, in the meantime I got a land contract on excellent terms. I love counrtyside and this forum. I especially like to hear from other singles who are going it alone. I'm 42 and life is just beginning.

-- Jackie(NE TX) (JLynne@neto.com), January 21, 2001.

My wife and I are 55 and 53 respectively. The seeds for me were planted in the 70's when I was introduced to TMEN. The concept of self sufficiency was really appealing to me. I sold my lakefront home of 30plus years in 1998 and have been living here since jan 99. We've made alot of progress since then. I love the ponds, our orchard is in, the gardens off to a good start, the greenhouse will be open to the public this spring for the first time, and the chickens should start laying by mid summer. I have something else in the works that should be really good but it too early to talk about now.

I love it. A satisfying way of life that we will retire to. Its never too late to start, just pace your self and enjoy.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), January 21, 2001.